Finding scores and recordings

tips | examples | about titles | media call numbers

Music materials may be found in several of the Stanford Libraries by searching in Socrates, the online catalog. Socrates allows you to limit your search to either scores or recordings; it also allows you to limit to a particular library, such as Music.

Searching for music in Socrates can be a complex undertaking, due to a number of factors including variations in title information, the varied forms a single musical work can take (a full score, performance parts only, an arrangement for keyboard, excerpts, transcriptions, etc.) and the prevalence of compilations (e.g., multiple works on a single recording, or a book of art songs by different composers). Library catalogs handle these unique manifestations adequately (at best); as you search Socrates keep in mind that you may need to try several different strategies to find what you are looking for.

This guide is a brief introduction. Socrates provides help information in detail; also, Music Library staff are happy to assist you in searching Socrates--send us an email or come in and ask for a librarian.

Explore Stanford's Key to Information Literacy ("SKIL"), an online interactive tutorial. The six modules cover key concepts about research skills and resources, including effective Socrates searching skills.

Tips on searching for music scores and recordings in Socrates:

Use the Combined Search option.

• This allows you to limit to a library (Music, Green or ARS), material format (recordings, scores, or films/visual), and other parameters. Your search results list will be shorter and more focused. If you modify or re-design a search, be sure to check that the limits are still in place.

Enter the least amount of information needed to uniquely identify what you are searching for, particularly in the title field.

• Leave out common words such as “the,” “and,” and “for”; if the title of a work is made up of a number of words, enter only the most unique.
  
• Verify title information in a reference source, such as Grove Online; look at the list of popular titles and their corresponding uniform titles.

Truncate.

• If the work has a generic title, truncate with the “$” sign:

Set limits when appropriate.

• Limit your sound recordings search to the Music Library if you want to exclude recordings from the (non-circulating) Archive of Recorded Sound. Limit the format of a search to either scores or recordings; if you don’t, you’ll get a results list that mixes scores, recordings, and books about the musical work.
  
  

Remember that searching Socrates for music is an imperfect art.

• You will be successful if you don’t get too specific in the search process; if you’ve reasonably narrowed your search you can scroll through the resulting list and hopefully find the work you want. Be sure to examine the “DETAILS” view of individual items for details on composers, performing forces, and editions.
  
  

Look for HELP.

• Each Socrates search type (simple, combined, browse) has detailed information on a HELP page. When all else fails (or even before that) contact us in the Music Library.

Some examples using the combined search:

For the printed score of Bach’s Goldberg Variations:

AUTHOR = Bach
TITLE = Goldberg
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = scores

For the printed score of Beethoven’s piano sonata in E major, no. 30, op. 109:

EVERYTHING = op. 109
AUTHOR = Beethoven
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = scores

Often, sonatas and other types of pieces by one composer (preludes, songs, etudes, etc.) may be found more readily in collections or complete sets.
So, to find the printed score of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas, expand your search:

AUTHOR = Beethoven
TITLE = Piano sonat$
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = scores

Because terms are searched as individual words, this search will also bring up sonatas for piano and violin or violoncello as well as other instruments. You can further limit the results by choosing “NOT” from the right-hand box (AND, OR, XOR, NOT) to weed out the violin and violoncello works:

AUTHOR = Beethoven
TITLE = Piano sonat$ -- NOT
EVERYTHING violin -- NOT
EVERYTHING violoncello
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = scores

For a compact disc of Johannes Brahms’ “Handel Variations”
(the uniform title for this work may be found in the “popular titles” list, below):

EVERYTHING = compact (the term “compact disc” is in all CD descriptions)
AUTHOR = Brahms
TITLE = Handel
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = recordings

For a DVD of Puccini’s La Boheme:

EVERYTHING = DVD
AUTHOR = Puccini
TITLE = Boheme
LIBRARY = Music
FORMAT = films/visual

Things to know about titles of musical works:

Identifying title information: The New Grove Dictionary in the Reference Room (ML100 .G883 2001, also available electronically) is an excellent source for identifying the proper title of a work. At the end of most individual composer biographies are lists of works by that composer, often including title information, key, opus number, and date of composition. Other reference sources can help correctly identify musical works as well, particularly the bibliographies and thematic catalogs of individual composers. Browse the Reference Shelf for examples.

Uniform titles: Searching for music scores and recordings can be much more difficult than searching for books. Unlike books, many musical compositions have generic titles such as “Symphony no. 1” or “Waltz in A-flat.” To further complicate matters, the same musical works are published in many countries, resulting in the same title translated into in a variety of languages. When cataloged, works are assigned “uniform” titles to ensure that all editions (in their various languages), performances, and works written about a particular piece can be found.

Uniform titles and composer/uniform title combinations in the Socrates DETAILS display are highlighted in blue (the “hot link” functionality is not yet fully activated).

• Uniform titles are constructed following certain conventions. To learn about uniform titles in detail, you may view an online tutorial from the Indiana University Cook Music Library.
  
  
• Click here to see a list of popular titles and their corresponding uniform titles used in Socrates.

Multiple works on one sound recording: Recordings pose an additional problem in that a single disc can include multiple performers, composers, and works; searches may end with what appear to be “false” results. The system may not match the correct composer with his or her corresponding work. There may be a Symphony no. 1 by Beethoven and a string quartet by Schumann on the same recording and you’ll retrieve this recording in your results list when you look for author = Beethoven and title = string quartet. Searching for an opera such as Bellini’s La Sonnambula will turn up recordings of that opera as well as compilation-type recordings containing only a single aria from the opera (e.g., Renée Fleming’s “Bel Canto”).

Constructing a uniform title for the work you desire will help; also, be sure to look at the DETAILS display of each of your search results to see if the correct composer and work is present.

Music Library media call numbers begin with:

MCD = Compact discs
MD = 33 1/3 LPs (12” vinyl)
MD7 = 33 1/3 LPs (7” vinyl)
MDS, MDSC = LP multi-disc sets
MTC = Sound cassettes
MVC = Video cassettes
MVD = Laser discs
MDVD = DVDs
MCDI = Electronic data (CD-ROMs)

All items with the above call number prefixes may be requested at the Music Library Circulation Desk. If your call number begins with a recording company label name or something other than what is listed above, you’ve likely found an item located in a different library (such as ARS or Green). You may wish to limit your search to the Music location.

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